Betty White recorded a video farewell for her numerous fans during her decades in show business, which was featured in her final interview before her death at the age of 99.
White was getting ready to celebrate her 100th birthday on Jan. 17 when she died. She took part in a documentary special titled “Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Event” that will be shown in cinemas across the country as part of the celebration. Not only was it her final interview for the feature-length special, but producer Steve Boettcher said that she also shot a video tribute to her admirers just ten days before her death, which would be shown alongside the special.
“On Dec. 20, she did a short little video for us… it was kind of a tribute to her fans that were going to be with her at the event,” Boettcher told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s kind of a shout-out to her fans that she did 10 days before she passed away.”
He described White as a “eternal optimist,” saying that on her 100th birthday, she wanted to be thoughtful and appreciate people who have supported her since she came to stardom years ago. Because she was a TV star rather than a film actress, Boettcher claimed she felt particularly obligated to her viewers.
“I think Betty had this feeling, the sense that sometimes movie stars on the big screen are unapproachable, but with Betty, and her career, it happened on the small screen, on the television screen, and she felt she was invited into people’s homes every week. Whether it was the ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ or ‘Password’ or ‘Hot in Cleveland’ or ‘Golden Girls,’ she was invited in people’s living rooms,” Boettcher explained. “She felt that as a special privilege kind of, like almost your favorite aunt coming over, your favorite grandmother coming over. So I think Betty really embraced that and cherished that relationship.”
Although the documentary was originally intended to be a birthday celebration for White, organizers quickly announced that they still intend to debut the special on Jan. 17. However, it will obviously be re-tooled a bit to be more of a celebration of her life and career. According to the Fathom Events page for the event, it has already been retitled to “Betty White: A Celebration.”
“Betty always said she was the ‘luckiest broad on two feet’ to have had a career as long as she did. And honestly, we were the lucky ones to have had her for so long,” a statement from producers Boettcher and Mike Trinklein reads. “We will go forward with our plans to show the film on January 17 in hopes our film will provide a way for all who loved her to celebrate her life—and experience what made her such a national treasure.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the documentary will feature appearances by Ryan Reynolds, Tina Fey, Robert Redford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Valerie Bertinelli, James Corden, Wendie Malick, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, in addition to White reflecting on her life, career, and fans.